The Battle of Thermopylae
by Weener1
Summary: I recently saw the film '300' and it inspired me to write this little ditty. Loosely based on the real events of the Battle of Thermopylae, Kaorin is thrown into a conflict that will require all her bravery to overcome.
1. What was left behind

**Hello again everyone! This story is loosely based on one of my former tales called "If I were An Angel". The only difference is that this story assumes that Prior did not bring the girls with him when he left the planet. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy the first chapter. and I swear it'll get more exciting as it goes on!**

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was but one of the many people sitting on the dirt floor of the dingy shack. Living off of clouded water that tasted of dirt and a small bowl of rice per day. It was hard not to feel hopeless. Even the normally brave looking Sakaki-san had taken on a look of fear and bleakness. That did not help my situation. Little Chiyo-chan was almost continually crying. We could do all we could to make her feel better. Words of hope and quiet coos of peace. Yet all the words seemed empty. It is difficult to calm others when you are not calm yourself. Osaka constantly paced the floor, Tomo sat beside Yomi, strangely quiet. It was all a surreal scene inside the shelter as the thousand or so people simply tried to mete out an existance in this dismal period.

My name is Kaori Aida and I am writing this as a letter of hope, a writing of inspiration in dark times. I want to tell everyone who reads this of unbridled courage, of the meek against the strong. I want others to live.

The beginning seemed not so serious. A visit from a strange man who claimed to be from another planet. Of course, everyone including myself, viewed this as odd. Although, maybe not as odd as it would seem to be. The man was nice. He called himself 'Prior'. He was handsome, charming and very honest. Sadly enough, he left before I got to know him well. Others filled me in on what exactly he said and did. Tomo told me all the exciting stories of epic battles and lost loves that he ahd told her. Osaka told me of his wild sense of humour. And Yomi told me about the devices. She first informed me of what she called his 'travelling device'. A pocketwatch-like object filled with complex gizmos and buttons. She went on about what she percieved to be it's technical aspects, and seemed extremely engrossed in its complexities. She then gave a fleeting description of another device, a 'communicator', that Mr. Prior said he had recieved on another world. Yomi described its cylindrical shape, its metallic structure. She said it was broken so Mr. Prior had thrown it into some weeds, distraught at his hope of rescue being gone. I had disregarded the second item. Me and Yomi had had many in-depth discussions about his travelling device. Yet, that was all so unimportant. Then again, hindsight is always 20-20, as they say in America.

After another bad day of Yukari's potty mouth and Kimura's sexual innuendo the only thing I wished to do was lay in my own bed and dream. Everyone always thought I was crazy for dreaming up wild stories and adventures for myself. My own take on that was it kept me sane. Sure, school is stressful, especially in my third year. With everyone pushing me to get into a good college and the work load bearing down on me, my only escape was to dream. It made me feel free. So, I walked home with my metaphoric head held high in expectation. Contrary to my actual head that was faced to the sidewalk, as if there was anything interesting there in the first place. I refrained from daydreaming, I always saved my dreams for home. After arriving and kicking off my shoes I passed by the living room, in which my mother was sitting watching the TV.  
"Have a good day at school, Kaori?", my mother asked sweetly.  
"Yes, mother.", I responded with a smile, as if I was going to say anything different anyhow.  
She pointed the TV remote at the blabbering news reporter on the screen.  
"20 more American soldiers dead in Iraq today. Isn't it a shame? You'd think the American government would be smart enough to know the dangers.", she shook her head in dismay.  
I also hung my head. Just another example of the world I tried to escape every day.  
"I'm going to my room.", I told my mother and trotted up the stairs.  
"Ok, dinner will be ready in a few hours.", my mother yelled up after me.  
I closed my door and flung my books beside my bed, where they clattered noisily. I then flung myself onto the bed. Greeted by the familiar slight bounce, I was comforted. The soft light from my window was fully blotted out as I closed my eyes. I must have fallen asleep quickly because all I can remember was flying through the air on a winged pegasus with Sakaki-san seated beside me. We were both laughing and simply enjoying each others company.  
"Kaori, time for dinner!", came the call that broke my reverie.  
Groaning, I plodded down the stairs and sat myself at the dinner table. My mother and father say somberly across from me, seeming to be intensely interested in the dinners on their plates.  
"Is..something the matter?", I asked quietly.  
"Kaori...", my mother choked as a tear welled in her eye.  
My father gave a sigh. He placed his chopsticks gingerly on his plate.  
"Kaori, I have to tell you something...", he began. My mother was still beside herself, in tears.  
"What's the matter?", I became terribly concerned, "Did something happen to grandpa"  
"No", my father shook his head. "Today, I...was cut from my job", he pursed his lips.  
"No...but..why?", My vision was clouded with tears. My mother and father were no more than blurs sitting before me.  
"My position was cut. Mr. Takamura replaced me with someone with more experience.", my father told me.  
"No...", I stood up from my chair.  
"Look, Kaori.", my father stood beside me and grabbed my shoulder gently. "This is exactly why me and your mother want you to get a good education.", his eyes grew red from the tears. "We want you to be more than we could ever be"  
I tried to look at him, but I found it somehow hard. Without a word, I drew myself from his grip and bolted to my room. I locked the door behind me and threw myself once more into my bed. I thought all the common thoughts as I lay there crying. "What have I done to deserve this?", "Why me?". Then another thought popped into my head. "What if I can't be more than they could be?" "What if I'm doomed to work a dismal job forever?". I sniffled and turned onto my back. I had always been interested in astronomy ever since I was a little girl, but sadly they don't teach that at school. Best I could get was the Astronomy Club that I was the club chair of. One subject I was always good at though was history. History was also very interesting to me. I never really thought of myself as becoming a history teacher or researcher, but it was one of my favourite classes at school. I smiled thinking of how all of past history has influenced everything we have today. I was suddenly flooded with motivation. I decided to make my parents proud by making history my highest scoring subject.  
Reaching over the side of my bed I picked up my World History textbook and flipped to 'Chapter 5: Greek History and the Hellenistic Civilizations'. I couldn't help but let a tear drop upon the page where it landed over a set of words. Upon wiping it away I read them out loud.

"The Battle of Thermopylae"

I then read with fervor about the brave defence of the Greek islands by a small group of Spartan warriors. The story told of how only a thousand Spartans managed to fend off a massive army of around 22,000 Persian troops as the rest of the Greek army retreated to regroup. Although the Spartans were killed to a man, the story filled me with awe of how marvelous history was and how different today's world seems.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Well, I hope that was alright for a first chapter. Soory for how slow it seems. It'll get better, I promise!**

**peace,**

**-Jay**


	2. Starfall

**Well, this one is a bit more exciting.**

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A bad day always begets a better one, right? Well, at least that's what I learned when I was a little girl. So, I managed to get out of bed and begin a much better day than the one previous. I hopped down the stairs and joined my mother for breakfast.  
"Where's daddy?", I eventually asked.  
"He's still asleep. I believe it would be best to leave him be for now.", she answered.  
I picked up my schoolbooks and prepared to leave.  
"Bye mom! Tell dad I said bye too.", I said as I left the house.  
"I will, Kaori.", my mother assured me.  
I plodded my way down the street, trying to cheer myself up with the thought of a new day. This was difficult to be honest. I wanted to believe that a bad day begets a good one, but it certainly is hard to have faith sometimes.  
Suddenly, a most beautiful voice broke into my thoughts and posessed my mind. It was the voice of an angel, no, a goddess. It was the voice of Sakaki-san.  
"Good morning, Kaorin.", she said as she approached me from behind.  
I stood still, revelling in the fact that SHE actually said hello to ME for once! I felt happier than I had ever felt before. I was in shock, the sort of shock that happens when you are too happy for words. Too happy for movements even.  
"Are you ok, Kaorin?", Sakaki asked as she trotted up beside me.  
I did all I could to regain my composure and pull my gaze from those beautiful ebony eyes of hers. It was as if they were a doorway. A doorway into my dreams.  
"I..I'm fine Sakaki-san.", I blurted out with a cracked voice.  
Her face became hard and concerned. "Are you sure you're ok? You don't look well.", she said.  
"J...just had a bad day yesterday..is all.", I managed to say. I felt like an idiot.  
"Do you...want to talk about it? I can try and help in any way I can.", she smiled a smile that I can only describe as radiant.  
"It..it's ok Sakaki-san, I'll be alright. T..thank you though?", I said. Looking back, why the hell didn't I tell her everything. I'm sure it would have made me feel a lot better. "Ok, Kaorin.", she smiled. "As long as you're ok"  
I walked beside her towards school, trying not to stare too much so as if to make me look suspicious. You have no idea how difficult it is to NOT look at her. Her long, ebony hair. Her supple skin, her deep eyes. It's like a dream!  
Engrossed as I was, Sakaki pointed to a place among the clouds overhead.  
"Kaorin, you're an astronomer. What's that?", she asked me.  
I looked to where her finger was aimed. From between two sets of cumulus mediocris clouds streaked a dark form. It was small due to it's altitude, but it was definately not an aircraft due to the angle of it's downward course. A meteor! Around here! How exciting!  
"It..looks a bit like a meteor!", I exclaimed, shading my eyes from the sun.  
"It looks like it's going to land close by.", Sakaki said,  
She was right. The course that the object was falling on would take it only about a mile from our position. As the object got closer to the ground, I could see that it was blazing with a fiery aura as it quickly passed behind some houses and was lost to sight among a series of tall trees. "Want to go find it!?", I exclaimed, I couldn't help myself.  
Sakaki giggled. Oh, how that will stick in my mind forever!  
"Ok, Kaorin. We're a bit early for school anyway"  
Extremely excited now, I trotted towards the copse of trees that I assumed it may have come to rest in. I looked back a few times to make sure Sakaki was following me. Every time I looked back, she was there, smiling. I nearly melted!  
As we reached the edge of the forest, I peered in. It was extremely dark and I could see no meteor or impact point.  
"See anything?", Sakaki asked.  
"No..not yet.", I responded and took a few steps into the woods.  
From between the trees ahead I could see a roiling smoke that reeked of burnt metal. Most meteors are composed of metallic substances, so I wasn't too surprised. But, as I stood between two trees what I saw was certainly not a meteor.  
It looked more like a pod, it's outer shell a thick, scratched maroon metal. It sat smoking in a shallow crater. Two men milled about outside the craft. Dressed in padded cloth armour the same shade of maroon as the craft they seemed to be observing the surrounding forest. I had to hold my hand over my mouth to stifle back a scream. "Did you find it, Kaorin?", Sakaki said as she approached me. It was too late to tell her to be silent. The men had already turned and it was then that I noticed they carried long, black, boxy objects that resembled rifles.  
One man lifted a hand and pointed at us, yelling in a language that I believe was English, but I was far too terrified to pey complete attention.  
Before I could even react Sakaki had already wrapped her strong hands around my wrist and was dragging me bodily from the scene.  
"This way.", she said, her face cool and stern, as she directed me down an alleyway between a pair of houses. She ducked into a set of very deep and uncomfortable bushes and I quickly followed. Sakaki-san saved me! She's so cool!  
I knew enough to be silent as running footsteps went past our position, stopped, then passed us again in the opposite direction. Sakaki poked her head out of the brush after the steps had faded.  
"All clear.", she whispered and grabbed me by the hand once more. She was touching me! I couldn't believe she could possibly be this cool!  
"We'll go to my house.", she said, but something above caught my eye.  
"Sakaki-san...", I said, pointing into the sky.  
In our horror we looked up as the sky became filled with dozens of plummeting craft just like the one we had encountered. They poured from the sky and apparently crashed to the earth.  
"Run, now!", Sakaki commanded as we made haste towards her house. Luckily, it was not far off. She struggled with the doorknob as I gave one look back to see a seemingly endless stream of pods falling to the ground.  
Sakaki bolted the door behind us after we entered. She immediately picked up the phone in her kitchen and began to dial.  
"Who are you calling?", I asked, shaking with fear.  
"The police.", she responded.  
A moment passed...then another.  
"The phones don't work.", she said, hanging up.  
Tears welled in my eyes.  
"Is this the end of the world, Sakaki-san?", I asked.  
She placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.  
"I don't know."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Oh, how terribly epic! Only gets more exiting from here!**

**peace,**

**-Jay**


	3. Ringing Like a Mourning Bell

Something needed to be done. Simply standing here solved nothing! What about all the people? Our friends, our families. They could all be in danger! Looking out the large window in Sakaki's front room at the quickly rising smoke some distance away I could almost guarentee someone we knew was in danger.  
"We need to make sure everyone is ok!", I shouted to Sakaki who had been rummaging about, looking for her mother's cell phone.  
I heard her let out a sigh so I turned to see her holding a gray cell phone that was apparently not working properly.  
"Why isn't anything working?", she wondered aloud.  
"Well, at least the electricity still...", I didn't even get to finish before all the lights in the house snapped off simultaniously.  
Sakaki immediately pressed herself to the front window, of course, I was quick to follow. People were running from their houses in confusion and fear. Little did they know that a contingent of the maroon garbed soldiers had begun to march down the street in a modern fighting formation. The amplified voice of one of the soldiers spoke in English.  
"Return to your homes and your will not be harmed"  
The ones that understood quickly beat a hasty retreat to their home, yet the poor souls that did not speak English were immediately set upon by the soldiers, cuffed with a strange string-like object and led away under guard of one maroon man.  
"This is...", Sakaki's words caught in her mouth. To be honest, I couldn't put my feelings into words either. Seeing this spectacle was already disturbing enough.  
The man with the amplifying backpack stood in the center of the road only a few meters from the house we had taken refuge in.  
"We come under orders of the Lord General Kimril. We recieved a distress call from a member of our force that came from this area. Soldiers will be sent to investigate each household, do not resist or you will be taken into custody. Repeating"  
He repeated the statement numerous times as the soldiers fanned out and began to ransack homes. "Get back. Let's go upstairs.", Sakaki directed me up the banister stairs and into a room that was absolutely brimming with the most extreme display of cuteness I had ever seen! It must have been a room for Sakaki's younger sister, I swore on it!  
"Who's room is this?", I asked in awe at the scene of animated kitties and piles of stuffed animals.  
"Mine.", Sakaki said simply as she began to gather sheets off the bed.  
"Yours!?", I said. Aghast at how such a beautifully quiet and collected girl could have a soft spot for the most sugary cuteness ever!  
Sakaki gave a curt nod and handed me a pile of sheets.  
"Tie them together, we're going out the window.", she said.  
"B...but Sakaki-san! Shouldn't we wait for the men to look through the house first? If we go outside we'll be taken!", I exclaimed.  
"Would you trust people that fell from the sky? I don't and I don't believe it would be safe if you did either.", she explained and began to tie her set of sheets together.  
"Of course, Sakaki-san! I..I apologize.", I stammered.  
"No need to.", Sakaki said as she handed me her end of the improvised climbing rope to be tied to my end.  
Loud bangs were heard from the floor below as we tossed the end of the rope out the window. Sakaki tied it to her bedpost as the bangs became louder and more insistant.  
"You go first, Kaorin.", Sakaki told me.  
"B..but what if the men catch you!?", I exclaimed, my ahnds growing sweaty from worry.  
"Don't worry. I'll be out as soon as you reach the bottom.", she smiled reassuringly at me.  
"Well...ok.", I gingerly slipped past the window frame and began my descent down the ladder of kitty-pattered sheets. How strange it seemed to be escaping a life-or-death situation on a set of pink kitten bedsheets. Reaching the bottom, I waved to let Sakaki know that she could descend. With one look back as a massive shattering sound rang through the house she nearly vaulted out the window and was at the bottom in a matter of two seconds I believe. It was amazing! She was always such a good athlete, but this was simply something out of a spy movie!  
"Come on, we have to go. Fast.", Sakaki directed me over a small stone boarder that divided her house from the neighbors. I followed Sakaki as she moved, silent as a ninja through the neighbor's yard and into the adjoining street.  
"Where's your house, Kaorin?", she asked me after she made sure the street was safe to walk on.  
"Um...o..over this way!", I said and led her through another yard until we came face-to-face with my backyard fence.  
"Ah, the fence.", I cursed myself for not remembering how tall teh fence was. Stupid stupid me!  
"Hold on, I'll boost you.", Sakaki said and held out her hands, fingers interlocked.  
I hesitated but a moment before I placed my foot into the stirrup she had created. With a force beyond compare she boosted me high enough so that I was able to drop to the other side without trouble. "What about you?", I called back.  
She need not answer because before I was even finished speaking she had already pulled herself over the fence and was on the other side. She never ceases to amaze me!  
Looking back at my house I noticed that all the lights were out and the curtains drawn. Apparently the power was out here as well. I ran to the back door and swung it wide open. I couldn' help but shout for my parents.  
"MOM! DAD! WHERE ARE YOU!?", I shouted as I ran through the house, which was royally ransacked. Vases, pictureframes and other decorations were shattered and torn. Tears welled in my eyes as I anticipated the worst. They were nowhere to be found.  
"We'll find them. I swear it.", Sakaki said as she placed a strong hand on my shoulder. An invoulentary smile creased my face. I was beginning to feel the first pangs of hope. I was about to respond when footsteps were heard coming up my basement stairs. Hoping it was my mother and father I ran blindly to the basement door and was greeted by two men in maroon uniforms and black visors. They carried rifles and some sort of flat-panel device.  
I screamed and ran immediately, barreling into Sakaki who caught me in a tight embrace.  
"Do not move and you will not be harmed!", the taller man said as he sighted us in his rifle.  
I shivered and cried in Sakaki's arms. Yet she was unmoving and simply stared at the men.  
"What...do you..want?", Sakaki asked them in halting English.  
The other man lifted his visor to expose purely European features. A thin nose, slightly tanned skin and light blue eyes as he keyed up something on the flat-screen device before holding it out to us.  
"Do you recognize this man?", he asked slowly so we could understand.  
On the screen was a man. Dressed in a white linen robe with short cut brown hair and friendly eyes. I knew the man and so did Sakaki. It was Mr. Prior. Yet, we shook our heads 'no.  
"Never.", I said in simple English.  
"No.", Sakaki agreed.  
The man contorted his face into a grimace and said something to the other man that I could not understand. The taller man shook his head and then spoke to us.  
"Ok, you're free to go girls.", he said and motioned for his companion to follow him out.  
"W...where are my...parents!?", I said in slightly garbled English.  
"Parents? Do you live here?", the taller man asked.  
I nodded vigorously.  
"Arrested. They resisted our investigation.", he said.  
My blood simply boiled. How could they? How could they?  
I screamed a few choice curses at him before Sakaki quieted me with a stiff hand over my mouth.  
"They'll be released when we find our man. Good day, girls.", he nodded and both men exited through the front door.  
I really and truly wanted to kill them. Then pull their organs through their mouths! How dare they imprison my parents! They were totally innocent!  
"I...I should have let them take me..", I sniffled into Sakaki's shoulder.  
She ran her fingers over my hair in a simple gesture that meant the world to me.  
"They'll only let them go if they find Mr. Prior! He left weeks ago though!", I exclaimed. Yet I stood, eyes wide. I remembered what Yomi had told me. The deice Mr. Prior had thrown in the bushes. It must have been the distress beacon! He didn't realize it still worked!  
"Sakaki-san...we need to find Yomi.", I said.  
Sakaki nodded. "Mmm"  
I knew where Yomi's house was, but knowing her, she would probably be stuck at the school at this time of day.  
Silently, we creeped out the front door and gave paranoid looks in all directions. The group of soldiers had moved further down the street and had their backs turned to us. We took the oppertunity and bolted. Sakaki moved faster, but she slowed her pace to keep in line with me. We stuck to alleyways and shortcuts as we passed by other occupied blocks that were milling with soldiers. The ever present din of the repeating warning rang in my ears.  
"We're...close.", I huffed and puffed. I was not used to s much physical exertion.  
Sakaki hadn't even broken a sweat as we emerged from the alley and onto the street. The school was visable, but a short ways down the road. The problem wasn't the distance. The problem was the massive amount of soldiers and TANKS planted in the courtyard of the school. TANKS for God's sake! The things were simply massive. Their growling engines could be heard from where we stood. And from where we stood, we decided to observe.  
A man had been pulled from the school. I recognized him as a science teacher. His name still escapes me. Four soldiers shoved him to his knees only moments before a sharp 'crack!' bit through the air.  
A red beam had emerged from one of the rifles and has blown the top of the teacher's head clean to vapour! I had to cchoke back disgust and the feelings of nausea.  
"We have to get in there.", Sakaki whispered with thinly veiled hate.  
I nodded in assent.


	4. Back In the Crowd

**Kaorin: Jay! This story sucks! Why is it always me that gets picked on!?**

**Jay: (smoking post-coital cigarette) It's cuz I like ya!**

**Kaorin: You don't like me! (crosses arms indignantly) **

**Jay: Yea, I like ya. Otherwise you'd still be with him. (holds up picture of MC Hammer)**

**Kaorin: (shivers) I love you too...**

**Jay: Excellent, now back to the story.**

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"If we move quickly we can get in through the fire escape.", Sakaki informed me. She was indeed correct. The fire escape door was on the side of the school we were facing. If we ran, the soldiers would never see us.. Well, as long as we kept our heads low that is. I followed Sakaki's military-like squat walk across the narrow road and behind the wall of the school courtyard.  
Another loud snap echoed amongst the buildings and I cringed at the thought of another person being executed. I only hoped that it wasn't someone I knew. The fire escape door loomed before us and Sakaki grasped the handle and opened the heavy door with a mighty pull.

Scanning the hallway expertly, Sakaki nodded for me to enter. The school seemed to be in good shape. Nothing was broken as far as I could see. With more confidence I followed Sakaki up the stairs headed to the second floor and Yukari's classroom. All the doors were shut and I assumed locked tight. I had to pound my fists and shout that it was me many times before Yukari opened the door to us, her face aghast.  
"Of all the places to go. Why the hell did you come HERE!?", she said.  
"I..I need to talk with Yomi.", I told her.  
She swung the door wide and simply sighed before letting us in and locking it once more.  
Without another word I ran straight to Yomi who was standing by the window with her best friend Tomo, gazing and making comments about the assembled group below.  
"Yomi! Yomi! Remember that device that you told me Mr. Prior threw away?", I interjected into their conversation.  
"Yea, what about it?", she asked.  
"It worked! That's why they are here!", I said, inferring to the soldiers.  
"You're kidding...", Yomi's eyes went blank.  
"God damn Kaorin! Why didn't you say anything before!", Tomo exploded.  
"I um...wasn't here?", I said, a bit confused.  
"Fine, fine! Make up excuses!", Tomo said, waving her hand dissmissively and walking off.  
"So that stupid thing actually worked?", Yomi asked, incredulous.  
"Yea...", I said.  
Yomi sighed. "Mr. Prior left weeks ago didn't he"  
"Yea, but I think...", I began but was interruped by one of the boys in the class yelling.  
"Miss Yukari! They're doing something weird"  
Everyone rushed to the window, but crouched down a bit so as not to be seen. Indeed, what tehy were doing did look strange. A man in a blue robe with a double-headed golden eagle, wings outstretched was holding one hand towards the building. The other was on his head as if he was in pain.  
"Damn, if this can't get any more retarded than it already is.", Yukari said, sounding witty and confident.  
The man dropped his arms to his side and nodded to one of the maroon-clad soldiers who in turn spoke into a handheld device.  
Moments later a sound not unlike the crackle of electricity seemed present in the room. It made me feel unstable and a bit nauseated. Then a voice boomed, and I mean BOOMED, literally inside my head. It wasn't heard as much as simply present in my mind. I fell to my knees. Looking to my right I could see that many people were falling, clutching at their heads in pain. The voice said in absolutely perfect Japanese:

"By orders of Lord General Kimril, your city is now under the occupation of the Harkoni Warhawks, 5th regiment, Tetra Sector. All citizens are to remain inside upon penalty of death. Evaluation process is underway. Communications and all power sources have been deactivated. Any attempt to disobey a representative will be met with harsh punishment. Consider yourselves under the control of the Imperial Army. That is all."

The voice repeated itself two more times before finally stopping. Tears had begun to run down my cheeks as I lay prone on the floor. It took a few shaky moments to regain the ability to stand.  
Apparently, Miss Yukari had either recovered abnormally quick or was unaffected at all because she had thrown open the window and yelled to the men below.

"You bastards! Get the hell away from my school! What gives you the right to come here and think you can rule the place huh!? I oughta' break all your necks!"

She huffed and puffed after this rant. That was until the man in blue motioned for two soldiers to enter the building.  
"Holy crap! They're coming to kill me!", Yukari panicked. Panic begat the classroom as everyone sputtered their worries about being killed off. "They're not gonna kill ya Yukari! Cheer up!", Tomo patted Yukari on the back happily. Did nothing ever faze that girl?  
"Bullshit! How do you know?", Yukari retorted, rummaging through her purse and finally pulling out nothing other than a stout, black pistol.  
"Holy crap!", Tomo exclaimed. "Where the hell did you get that from"  
"Bought it for times like these.", Yukari grinned, cocked the hammer and stuck the gun in her waistband, conveniantly covered by her lime green shirt.  
I rushed quickly to Sakaki-san who was speaking calmly to Kagura, despite the general clamour of her surroundings.  
"Do you think they're going to kill us, Sakaki-san?", I asked, hoping for a 'No.  
"I certainly hope not.", Sakaki said.  
"I dunno.", Kagura gulped. "I've seen movies about people who say the wrong thing and BOOM...dead"  
A knock at the door nearly made me scream. The room went silent. Dead silent.  
"Open up!", a metallic sounding voice said.  
Yukari gingerly approached the door and pulled it open a crack.  
"Please, do come in!", she said with a wide grin.  
Two maroon men hoisting rifles entered the room. Both looked very similar, yet one may have been taller. I can't quite remember clearly. What I do remember though is the strange apparatus that covered each of their mouths. It looked as it they were wearing a scuba diving breather over their mouth, obscuring the entire bottom half of their faces.  
The men looked about the room. We were all frozen in fear. Not one person registered any sort of movement. Then one spoke.  
"You wanted to know our reasons behind all this, huh?", the device around his mouth made his Japanese very metallic sounding. I guess it was some sort of translator.  
"Sure!", Yukari agreed happily.  
The man immediately shoved Yukari so hard with one hand that she fell flat on her back.  
"That's too damn bad!", the man said with venom.  
"Consider yourselves captives. Captives have no right to ask questions!", the other mans said, focusing his attentions on the other 10 or so people in the room.  
"We're not against raping and pillaging you know.", the first man said with a ravenous look in his eyes.  
"You wouldn't dare!", Tomo screamed. I guess she really couldn't help herself. To her credit, Yomi immediately clamped a hand over Tomo's mouth before she could make the situation worse.  
"Do you want to be the first?", the man spoke with a hint of laughter.  
"No, Sir! I apologize for her! She is foolish. Please forgive us!", Yomi said as she tried to control the struggling Tomo.  
The first man gave his friend a look before the second man advanced towards Tomo and dragged her bodily from Yomi's arms, despite what Yomi tried to do to stop him.  
My breath caught in my throat. I wanted to help. God, I wanted to help. I would just be shot though. Laid out like a ragdoll.  
The man grasped Tomo by the collar of her uniform while she kicked, cursed and flailed at him. He shoved her up against the wall and pressed his body close. I could anticipate what was going to happen next and I didn't want to watch. So, I closed my eyes tight. Tears leaked out to spite myself. I couldn't believe what was happening.  
Then came a loud bang. Followed by a sharp intake of breath by the memebers of the class. I forced my eyes open. I could see the body of the man who had grabbed Tomo crumpled on the floor on his back, blood pooling beneath him. Yukari stood with her gun still smoking. Even Tomo was in shock.  
I heard the remaining man growl as he began to hoist his rifle, his aim was Yukari. But the shot never fired. He was blindsided by Kagura, who tackled him to the ground. The impact sent his rifle skittering behind Yukari's desk.  
As if being led by example, one of the boys in the class, Ikiru by name, also mounted the man's back. He was held down fast, no manner of struggling would allow him to escape.  
"Fuck all you bastard kids!", the man cursed. He would have continued, but Ikiru pressed the man's face into the floor.  
Yukari stood over him, gun at the ready when a sharp beeping noise was heard. I scanned the room looking for the source. Yomi was holding Tomo, comforting her, certainly a rare scene but the noise was not from their direction. It was neither Sakaki or me who were plastered against the back wall. The right side of the room was looking about as well, making them innocent.  
Yukari had knelt down and located a microbead communication device within the man's helmet. I was beeping loudly.  
"Answer it. Tell them everything is fine.", Yukari said to the man at gunpoint.  
A moment of static broke through before a voice spoke. "Corporal Meyers? Do you read? This is Central Command. Over"  
Corporal Meyers narrowed his eyes and spoke.  
"Alert all troops! The city bears the Warptaint! Begin extermination!", he shouted loudly.  
Yukari shot the man dead. His blood running beneath our feet. My eyes, sore from crying,gazed out the window as the turrets of the assembled tanks turned in our direction and I knew the barrels spelled our doom.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**The true terror begins!**

**-peace- **

**-Jay**


	5. Angels and Men

**Kaorin: Alright, Jay! What's going to happen to me this time?**

**Jay: Did you finish me grilled cheese sandwich?**

**Kaorin: Not until you tell me if I'm going to get shot, pulverized or otherwise maimed.**

**Jay: ...You do know why they call it HAMMERspace, right?**

**Kaorin: (shivers) ...one grilled cheese...coming right up.**

**Jay: Excellent, now back to the story**

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Haha! We showed them. Here take this.", Yukari boasted as she handed one of the fallen rifles to Kagura and the other to Tomo. Bad news already.  
"Miss Yukari...", my friend Chihiro prodded.  
"Kicked their asses back to kingdom come! That'll show them to mess with Yukari Tanizaki!", she struck a martial arts pose that was not very becoming of her.  
"Miss Yukari...", Chihiro repeated with more intensity.  
Yukari continued to blabber. "If they send more. POW! Right in the kisser!", she sent a punch through thin air.  
"MISS YUKARI!!", Chihiro yelled.  
"Geez, what the hell do you want, Chihiro?", she said in a huff.  
Chihiro simply pointed out the window at the assembled tank turrets and never took her eyes off Yukari.  
"MOTHER OF GOD!! GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE!!", Yukari screamed and grabbed her purse. Everyone followed her dead bolt out of the door and into the hallway.  
"EVERYONE RUN!! OUT,OUT,OUT!!!!!", she screamed as we ran towards the fire escape exit.  
A deep blast followed as other students began to pour out of the classrooms. Screams and debris rained from the third floor. I shivered and held the now-crying Chiyo-chan as we propelled ourselves out the fire escape door. "I don't wanna die, Miss Kaorin!", Chiyo-chan cried into my encompassing arms.  
"It's ok Chiyo-chan. We'll find a safe place to go.", I said.  
Another blast rained pieces of brick and insulation on the assembled, now hysterical, group.  
"Where can we go!?", yelled one delirious girl.  
"My house.", answered Mr. Kimura, bane of all female students.  
Every female present found the energy to look at him, in disgust mind you. No one could believe that even during a brutal attack by aliens he could still be perverted.  
"I'm not kidding. I have a bomb shelter. So, please just trust me.", he sounded deathly serious.  
"What other choice do we have?", intoned Sakaki-san in her ever-so-calm demeanor.  
I watched as a shell blew apart the far corner of the school. Bricks dropped like dominos. I hoped no one was left inside.  
"Lead the way, Kimura!", Yukari commanded.  
Kimura took off running. And we followed. We ran away. Away from the tanks and the school that was rapidly becoming rubble. The quiet thunder of the mass of people following the ragged, awkward teacher was drowned out by the constant snaps and cracks of small arms fire. Ever once in awhile I glimpsed people being mowed down by soldiers. Men, women, children. It didn't matter to them. The order was 'exterminate' and that was just what they were doing. I wanted to scream. Or gag. One or the other.  
Kimura came to a quick halt in the center of a street and let out a yelp. Moments later a lance of red light dug a hole through his right shoulder and careened over our heads. As he fell to his knees I saw the two soldiers before us that were now taking potshots into the crowd. As wounded students fell, the rest scattered. I looked for Chiyo-chan, but Sakaki-san had already taken her to the safety of a stand of trees quicker than I could blink. I instead chose my now-wounded friend Chihiro who had taken a laser bolt to her lower leg. I allowed her to lean on my shoulder for support as I assisted her to limp across the roadway.  
Upon reaching solace behind a bush, I allowed her to sit. But I stared. Stared at Tomo, Kagura and Yukari who were exchanging fire with the soldiers from behind the cover of a low brick wall between two houses. Yukari's pistol was nearly useless at this long range, and Kagura seemed to have very low accuracy. But Tomo...she was an absolute deadeye. It only took her two well placed shots to send the men to the ground. The first struck one of the soldiers in the forehead, sending blood and fried bone into the sky as he fall back. The second careened into the heart of the other man. He pitched foward, gasping his last breath. I guess all the video games she plays finally came in handy.  
"Banzai! I totally owned them! Yomi, did you see that!?", Tomo boasted to her friend who promptly scooped Tomo up by the collar and pulled her away, still boasting.  
Yukari had rushed foward to quicky take possession of the dead men's rifles. One she took for herself. The other she handed to a girl with long black braids whom I didn't not know the name of.  
Kimura came walking from the copse of trees where most had taken refuge. He gripped his injured shoulder and set his teeth hard.  
"Keep moving.", he directed.  
"C'mon, Chihiro.", I offered my hand to my friend who smiled and took it accordingly. We joined the crowd plodding after Mr. Kimura. There must have been about three hundred of us.  
"Three hundred.", I though to myself. A familiar number. Just like those brave Spartan hoplites at the Battle of Thermopylae.  
A crackle broke my reverie. A girl beside me screamed in terror. One of the boys pointed to the sky.  
"What the hell is happening!?", Chihiro yelled.  
A hole had formed in the clouds. Yet, the hole acted like an axis. The clouds rotating around it's center gave it a supernatural feel. The came the lance. I was nearly blinded as a lance of blue light, about the width of a soccer pitch, descended through the hole and struck the ground with a shockwave felt strogly by us. Even though we were miles from the impact point. The wave nearly caused everyone to lose their balance. Some fell, but Chihiro had clung tightly to me and my legs went stiff. After the light died away the roar and debris cloud still hung in the sky.  
Kimura's mouth hung open. This time it was not due to thoughts of perversion, but in abject shock.  
"Run! It's not much further.", he called.  
We redoubled our efforts. Even as another lance of energy struck the earth a few miles away we still kept our march. I struggled to pull my friend who was becoming weak from her injury and exertion.  
"Not much further, Chihiro.", I smiled at her.  
She simply whimpered and grasped at my sleeve with one sweaty palm.  
"Everyone, to the backyard!", Kimura yelled. His voice becoming hoarse from exhaustion.  
It took awhile for everyone to filter through the one person gate into the rear of the house and when we all did make it there wasn't much room unoccupied. Despite all the people, I could see no signs of a shelter.  
"Move, move, move.", Kimura pushed past the milling students and into the center of the yard. He reached into the grass and came up with a handle. This he pulled. A section f lawn raised to reveal a descending stairwell lit along the sides by halogen bulbs set into the walls. A metallic, vault-like door was present at the bottom. Kids and teachers gasped in awe at the unusual sight.  
"Everyone inside!", Kimura instructed as he jauntily stepped down the stairs.  
I queued myself into the group of waiting students. Me and Chihiro happened to line up next to Osaka as we waited.  
"Kaorin, I told ya tha aliens were comin'.", she said, her gaze as blank as ever.  
I couldn't deny that statement.  
"Yea, you were right.", I shivered at the thought.  
"Ah!", Osaka gasped, "Here they come!". She pointed into the sky behind me.  
I gasped, and so did the others that happened to witness the massive structure that came down through the clouds. It very nearly resembled a flying city. Yet it had a long bow that swept away the cloud cover. I was struck silent by this sight as I noticed lances of light that were sweeping through the streets, destroying all they touched.  
I tured from the scene and followed Osaka into the shelter. The inside was fairly dingy, but it was better than nothing. Books, magazines and shelves of canned food hung on the walls. 10 or so cots were spread out in the center of the room. There was even a sink with running water. What really surprised me though was the fact that everyone fit inside. With room to spare.  
I sat Chihiro down against one of the walls and I sat beside her. Trying my best to comfort her.  
"We're all going to die.", she whined. "They won't stop until we're all eliminated"  
"We have to be brave. Just look at Sakaki-san.", I reassured her.  
Sakaki-san. Can you do no wrong? She was helping the injured people through the door of the shelter and consoling the distressed and wounded. Yet, all the while her face never looked tired. Never looked annoyed. She was an angel. Come to help us through the darkness.  
"It's hard to be brave.", Chihiro sniffled.  
"I know. But if the Spartans could do it. So can we.", I had thought out loud. "The Spartans?", Chihiro questioned.  
"Don't worry about it.", I smiled. "We should dress your wound"  
She nodded lightly.  
I looked around until I noticed a group of people who were tending to the wounded. Sakaki and Chiyo-chan, despite Chiyo's wet eyes, were two of the good Samaratins who were assissting those who had been hurt.  
"Um...excuse me, Sakaki-san?", I murmered.  
Sakaki turned to me with a smile.  
"Yes, Kaorin?", she asked.  
"I umm...uhh...I umm..need some gauze and disinfectant for Chihiro's leg...", I stammed all over that sentence. I couldn't help it though!  
"Oh, she's hurt? Here.", Sakaki rummaged through a box of medical supplies and came up holding a roll of gauze and a bottle of disinfectant lotion.  
"T..thank you very much, Sakaki-san!", I bowed deeply and skittered away. I had to get away from her before she saw how red my face had become.  
Chihiro smiled when she saw me approach holding the supplies.  
"Thank you, Kaorin.", she said happily as I applied the disinfectant and wrapped her nasty, bleeding wound in a swathe of bandages.  
"You're welcome. Anything for my best friend.", I answered back.  
As a tucked the last bit of gauze into the wrappings Chihiro spoke again.  
"You really like Sakaki-san, don't you"  
I suddenlt became terribly engrossed in making that last bit of wrapping absolutely perfect.  
"Like? Well yea, she's cool.", I answered quickly. I couldn't look up. My face was flushed.  
Chihiro giggled.  
"Don't be embarassed, Kaorin. I don't care if you like girls. I'll always be your friend"  
My face began to sweat.  
"You won't tell anyone will you?", I said, never quite looking her straight in the eyes.  
"Not a soul.", she assured.  
I finished the wrapping and sat beside her once more.  
"It's more than just that though.", I told Chihiro.  
"Hmm?", she questioned.  
"She has this air about her. Like an aura. If she hadn't been with me earlier I would have been dead already. I would have given up. She's so...so brave. So cunning and smart." _And absolutely adorable_ I added to myself.  
"Brave...like a Spartan?", Chihiro said.  
I nodded. "But she'll never see that in me. All she sees in me is a clumsy, awkward little girl. She's probably looking for some guy that is muscular and handsome. Some sort of cool, collected guy that will sweep her off her feet. Like a knight in shining armour"  
Even though I had seen the portal of cuteness that was Sakaki's room. I thought it was all a fluke. Something unbelieveable.  
"Don't say that, Kaorin. You're very smart! You know so much about astronomy, history...you even study meta..", I interrupted her there.  
"Don't mention that. Ever.", I said. My tone was hard and without humour.  
"Why not? I think it's amazing"  
"It makes me sound stupid. It's like something Osaka would study.", I told her.  
"But, maybe Sakaki-san likes that sort of thing too.", Chihiro said.  
"I don't think so"  
Sakaki-san wouldn't be interested in things like that. No, definately not.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Oh, poor Kaorin! Will she ever find true love amidst the terrors of war? What exactly is she hiding? (epic music)**


	6. A Triumphant Translation

**Kaorin: What on Earth are _THESE_!? (holds up OtakuOtter's reviews)**

**Jay: They're called reviews. You get them when people actually enjoy your stuff.**

**Kaorin: Oh, so I'm not enough!? You need this...(looks at reviews) OtakuOtter guy to make you feel better?**

**Jay: ...You still haven't brought me my slippers. Don't make me have to _HAMMER_ the point home.**

**Kaorin: ...Do you know how much I hate you?**

**Jay: No, please elaborate.**

**Kaorin: (walks off in a huff)**

**Jay: Excellent, now back to the story.**

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

That word. That word that I wouldn't let Chihiro say was 'metaphysics'. Defined as the study of esoteric spiritual matters, it concerns a wide array of thought schools. Philosophy is only a part of it. Earth mysteries concern the other part. Although I enjoy everything about it, my personal interest is in the mysteries of the human mind. There's so much we don't know! Psychic phenomena, ESP, precognition, higher states of conciousness. All of these things are almost as interesting to me as astronomy. Actually, my interest in metaphysics began with astronomy. Astronomy led to astrology and so on and so on. Regardless, I've always been a bit embarassed about my study. It makes me seem so...spacey. Metaphysics sounds like something Osaka would make up, but that is so untrue! Strangely enough, I believe Osaka would be very interested in this field, with her innate wonder about the Chupacabras and all. Even so, I couldn't let Chihiro go spreading the word to Sakaki. At least not yet.  
Chihiro had fallen asleep and slowly her head came to rest on my shoulder. I let it be, I was tired as well. What really amazed me was the level of cooperation everyone was showing. Even bitter enemies had come together for a common purpose. No one was isolated. Everyone was afraid. Tomo was practically bouncing off the walls, but that's just the way she works.  
"So, what the hell are we gonna do?! Just live down here?", I overheard Yukari say to Kimura.  
"Do you have a better idea?", Kimura retorted.  
"Not really an idea so much as this...", Yukari's voice trailed off as she placed a loving hand on her newly obtained laser rifle.  
"There's no way we can take on an army! Besides, I wouldn't want to put all these lovely girls in danger...", Kimura's jaw nearly hit the floor.  
The former conversation dissolved for a short time into a cacaphony of Yukari's evil chuckles and Kimura's sociopathic mumbling.  
"We can get those bastards out there!", Yukari began the conversation once more, pointing to the metallic roof of the shelter.  
"How? I'm really curious now. Just listen a moment"  
Both went quiet for a moment. I listened as well. The dull echoes of falling lasers, bombs, whatever , could be heard. Definately violent explosions.  
"Ok, fine. Maybe they have more guns than us, but we have courage! Right guys!", Yukari spun, fist raised in the air addressing everyone in the room.  
Yet everyone who was not asleep simply stared at her incredulously. Only about ten seconds later did Tomo jump up and pump her fist as well.  
"YEA!!", she screamed, having no idea what Yukari meant.  
One of the boys near the back of the room asked, "What are you talking about Miss Yukari"  
"Courage, of course! C'mon, we have to fight off the invaders!", Yukari hefted her rifle and hooted like a madman.  
"Wouldn't that be very, very dangerous?", Yomi asked, her voice not even having to HINT at the sarcasm it carried.  
"Well, yea. BUT! That's part of the fun! Think of the songs they'll write about us!", Yukari announced. I didn't think even she could be that hardheaded.  
"The city has been bombed to hell and back.", a boy named Ashikaga said. "I doubt there is anyone to write songs about you left"  
A small ripple of anxious laughter sputtered through the room and dissolved quickly into abject silence.  
"So, smart guys, what's YOUR plan!?", Tomo questioned loudly as she stood upon one of the cots to increase her height.  
"Well, Tomo. I was just thinking of STAYING INSIDE WHERE IT'S SAFE!", Yomi said as she came up behind her wild friend.  
"Oh? What makes you think we'll even survive, eh?", Tomo grinned devilishly "Our chances of survival are much better here than out there.", interjected one unseen boy in the crowd.  
"Alas, what if we're the only ones left? What if we're Japan's last hope!?", Tomo raised her arms in an epic gesture of bravura.  
"Um...Miss Tomo?", Chiyo said sweetly, "I believe there is an American naval base nearby. They have a much better chance of defending than..."  
She was interrupted by another of Tomo's outbursts.  
"What if they've all gone KABOOM!!!??", Tomo opened her arms wide as if showing the terror of the explosion that could sink battleships.  
"You have a good point, Miss Takino! You all saw the lasers!", Yukari said, agreeing with her crazed student.  
"That's right, Yukari!! So, who's with me!?", Tomo absolutely threw her fist into the sky. The force of which nearly threw her from her perch.  
Yukari seemed to be the only one that threw her arms in the air as well.  
Yomi pulled her hysteric friend from her pedestal and dragged her down to even ground.  
"There is no way in hell that I'm letting you leave this room!", she scolded.  
"But Yooommiii! I have to! We all need to stand up for ourselves instead of cowering like insects!", Tomo explained.  
Amidst the argument Chihiro had woken up.  
"What's going on?", she asked me, disoriented.  
"Tomo and Yukari want to fight the invaders.", I explained.  
Chihiro let out a half-hearted gasp. We both knew far-and-well that any plan that Yukari and Tomo had come up with in the period of time we had known them had always been bonkers to the point of absurdity. This seemed no different.

"Well, I'm going wheather you like it or not!", Tomo began to stomp away from Yomi, holding her rifle.  
"No, you're not! Give me that!", Yomi grabbed for Tomo's rifle only to grasp thin air as Tomo skipped gaily out of her friend's reach.  
"Toooo Sloooow!", Tomo chanted as all the others watched in shock while the girl skipped happily out of her friend's reach and closer to a possible death.  
"FINE!", Yomi exploded. I had seen her angry, but never like this. Never. She shook, her face red with anger as she spoke her next words.  
"If you're going, I'm coming with you"  
Even Tomo stopped in her tracks.  
"Now Little Miss Whiney-Pants wants to come defend the world too?", Tomo mocked happily.  
"More like I want to make sure _you _don't get killed.", Yomi said, her face still contorted in anger.  
Yukari cheered.  
"All right! Who else wants to be a hero!?", she asked.  
"But...but...Miss Yukari! How can you be like this!? How can you put your students at risk?", little Chiyo-chan asked. Her eyes dripped near-constant streams of tears.  
Yukari patted the small girl on the head.  
"Sometimes you just have to get up and do things. You should know this Chiyo-chan. Just think of it like a test. Except on this test, the winner takes all! And that winner is us"  
"But...but..", Chiyo-chan sputtered, trying to wrap her brilliant mind around this fact.  
"Don't worry, Chiyo-chan! Everything will be juuuuuust fine!", Tomo reassured her.  
In the meantime Yukari had repossessed Kagura's rifle and handed it to Yomi.  
"Let's head out!", Yukari spoke triumphantly.  
With that she pulled open the heavy door. Yukari and Tomo laughed as they mounted the stairs. A despondent Yomi trudged after, giving one last look into the crowded room. Their forms disappeared beyond the portal as the door crashed back into place.  
"They're all going to die...what a waste of good girls...", Kimura said and moped in a private corner.  
The echo of that door sounded like a death knell. Maybe it's just me, but I thought for a moment that maybe fate had chosen them. Not as sacrifices, not as saviours but as something else. Maybe some higher force was at work. Some spiritual unknown.

Just then I noticed Sakaki-san staring in my direction. No, not just in my direction but at me. Not just at me, but directly into my eyes. She then rose from her seated position and approached my refuge against the wall.  
"Kaorin, I...need to speak with you.", her voice trembled.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


	7. Vergissmeinnicht

**Kaorin: (rubs Jay's feet)**

**Jay: That's good...maybe I won't kill you off.**

**Kaorin: Good to know...**

**Jay: Now, isn't everything much better?**

**Kaorin: Do you have any idea how much fun people are going to make of me once I get back to my own world!?**

**Jay: But of course.**

**Kaorin: Do you have no soul!?**

**Jay: I do.**

**Kaorin: Well, I can't see it!**

**Jay: (smirks suspiciously)**

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Y...Yes, Sakaki-san?", I choked out.  
"Please, come.", she motioned for me to follow her.  
I looked back at Chihiro as I stood up. She simply smiled broadly at me as I followed Sakaki-san. My heart thudded in my chest, expecting the moment I had waited for my entire high school career. The moment where Sakaki-san would admit her undying love for me and I would melt in her arms as we kissed for the first time.  
Sakaki stood before me in a corner that seemed fairly isolated.  
"W..what..did you want to tell me...", I gulped down a lump in my throat. "..Sakaki-san"  
She let out an exasperated sigh. Her eyes became hooded, like she was composing her next words carefully.  
"Stop that, Kaorin.", she said.  
"Stop what?", I asked. My face was flushed and sweating.  
"Stop acting like you do. Stop the obsessive behaviour. Stop the stuttering. Stop idolizing me. And stop thinking Im adorable, because I'm not.", she said. Her voice stiff and unmoving.  
Now, I know many people have had their hearts broken, but it felt as if mine had been hit by a train, run over by a bus, then thrown into the Pacific ocean. Yet, one question still managed to pop into my mind.  
"How...did you know I thought you were adorable?", I choked through my streaming tears.  
"Kaorin...don't cry.", she grabbed my shoulders in her soft, powerful hands. I couldn't resist looking at her.  
"Why shouldn't I cry? My dreams were just shattered!", I wept bitterly.  
"Kaorin...", Sakaki sighed. "It's not that I don't want to be your friend. It's just...your obsessive behaviour and the way you idolize me makes me feel like a monster. If you really want to know me, please, just treat me like a normal person"  
She smiled. I cracked a small grin as well. All hope was not lost!  
But the question of how she knew that I thought her to be 'adorable' still tickled the back of my mind. I never said that word out loud! I only thought it to myself. Sometimes I used stronger words during times of personal intimacy, but that was all.  
"But...", I sniffled. "How did you know I think you are adorable"  
Her head drooped. Concerned, I watched her wring her hands together nervously.  
"I...I heard you say it.", she mumbled.  
I shook my head, the remains of my tears spattering off in all directions. "I never said that." Out loud, I thought to myself.  
"Well, I..still heard it"  
When she said that realization hit me like a 10 ton truck.  
"You mean...", I pointed a finger to my head almost automatically.  
It looked as if 'amazement' had taken on a physical form and was floating before my eyes because I believe I saw Sakaki nod slightly.  
"How long?", I mumbled through the daze.  
"For as long as I can remember.", she said wistfully.  
"Is it...all the time?", grammar was failing me and I didn't care at this moment.  
"No, it's almost like a leak. Sometimes things sneak in. I have no control.", she responded.  
"Is there anything...now?", I asked.  
"Yes, but it is all pain.", she responded.  
I thought as much.  
"I'm going out there.", Sakaki said after a moment of silence.  
"But...why?", I asked, eyes glazed.  
"I need to stop all of this.", she said, proceeding towards the vault door.  
I scampered quickly after her screaming.  
"NO! NO! NO! I can't let you leave"  
I grabbed her shoulder and turned her to face me.  
"Kaorin stop. I need to end this. Besides, Yomi, Tomo and Yukari have been gone awhile. They might be hurt.", Sakaki responded.  
"I CAN'T LET YOU GET HURT!", I erupted in a tear-filled scream.  
Sakaki stood stunned as Kimura approached.  
"I can't let anyone else leave. It would be far too dangerous.", Kimura explained.  
"Aren't you worried about the ones that already left?", Sakaki saked dimly.  
"At least they had weapons! We have nothing! Now, stay in here. I built this for a reason.", he said.  
"Reason?", I sniffled.  
"I knew this was going to happen someday! People called me crazy, but noooo! Now they're the jealous ones!", he chuckled.  
All was silent for a moment.  
"You have weapons, don't you Mr. Kimura?", Sakaki broke the ice with her soft speech.  
"...What? What are you talking about?", he questioned.  
"You have weapons, Mr. Kimura?", one of the nearby boys asked.  
"Yea! Let us have 'em! We wanna fight!", another boy filled in.  
"No...there's not weapons here.", Kimura was visably nervous now. And I smirked. Go Sakaki-san!  
"They're in a secret closet, aren't they?", Sakaki stated more than asked.  
"H...How?", was all Kimura could choke out amongst the rabble that was being created.  
"Just get them. Everyone! Prepare for glory!", Sakaki raised her voice. It was as angelic as I imagined in my wildest dreams. Sakaki-san, leading us to victory!  
Everyone let out a cheer as Kimura skulked toward the rear of the shelter. Everyone except for Chiyo-chan.  
"Sakaki-san, are you sure you want to do this? You sound like Tomo right now!", she asked.  
Sakaki placed one hand on Chiyo-chan's head.  
"We can't possibly lose. We have one thing they don't.", Sakaki said.  
"What would that be, Sakaki-san?", Chiyo-chan questioned.  
"Respect for ourselves.", Sakaki intoned.  
I apologize now Sakaki-san. I cannot drop my love for you! At least not yet!

Thus, my tale ends. I am finishing up this letter with a brace of pistols along my side. I am ready and willing to not give up. Whether or not I come back alive I don't know. I truly hope I do so that I can see our vision and bravery live out. I truly want to rebuild Japan back to it's former glory. I want the world to know the strength of a few. I leave this letter for anyone who comes upon it. For history cannot be forgotten.

In hope,  
Kaori Aida

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Kaorin: It can't be over!**

**Jay: It ain't over till the fat lady sings!**

**Yomi: (has been singing karaoke for awhile now)**

**Tomo: ...Why isn't it over yet?**

**Yomi: (beats Tomo to within an inch of her life)**

**Jay: They should be on Wrestlemania, don't you think?**

**(Seriously now, I know this story was strange but I'm glad some of you stuck with it! It isn't over yet but it's going to change perspectives. Oh, and for the record I don't hate Kaorin. She's actually my favourite character due to the fact that I want to see her name redeemed. I believe that below her Sakaki-swooning exterior is a decent, interesting person that I wish to show. Anyhow, enough blabber. Next chapter, ahoy!)**


	8. As If From Heaven

**Had trouble the last few days getting stuff to upload but here's chapter 8 finally! Change of viewpoint in this one, we're getting into the home stretch!**

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Place: HMS York, NATO command vessel. 20 miles off the coast of Japan in the Pacific Ocean Time: 15:42

Classified Observation Deck, first combat flight of the WindRaid Observation Craft.

"Is everything clear?", asked Admiral Kipling of the British Royal Navy.  
"Clear so far, Sir.", responded Lieutenant Commander Tirvel.  
The large screen in the darkened chambers showed a thinning layer of clouds below the camera.  
The Admiral sighed. They had gotten the news late. Japan had apparently been under attack for hours and the aliens had somehow avoided radar detection. It all made very little sense. When the news, recieved from an escapee, came to them NATO forces in the region had been scrambled faster than ever. The man told them everything, about the prisoners, about the death...everything.  
Forget Iraq. Forget Afghanistan. This was the real deal.  
40 ships. Hundreds of aircraft. Thousands of soldiers from all NATO countries. Finally, a common enemy.  
Yet, the Admiral still felt a sense of failure when the screen cleared to show the ruins of the once great city of Tokyo. "Something on radar. Visual confirmation needed.", one of the fighter pilot's voice's crackled through the speakers. The other four fighters in the echelon responded in kind.  
Admiral Kipling had to remove his cap to keep from sweating. The camera of the WindRaid tilted to show the bleak, smoke-filled sky. Yet, a dot low on the horizon betrayed something far more sinister.  
"There's something ahead.", one of the pilot's spoke. "What the fuck is that?", another said.  
What was it, indeed. The speck grew to the size of a city block. Yet, this city block was floating low above the ground. It bristled with weapon arrays and definately did not have good intentions.  
"It's landing...", Tirvel said, breathless.  
"Take out the cannons. We can't risk a full assault if there are prisoners inside.", The Admiral ordered.  
"Yes, Sir.", Tirvel relayed the orders to the fighter pilots who then began a sweeping attack pass towards the massive craft.  
"Fire!", commanded the flight leader.  
Missles, their contrails polluting the air streaked from the wings of the fighters. Moments later explosions blossomed along the exterior of the massive alien vehicle.  
"We got a few. Taking evasive maneuvers.", the flight leader informed the men inside the darkened room.  
The Admiral nodded in assent just as the first blue streaks crossed the sky. The ship had begun it's own assault on the fighters.  
"I'm making another pass!", said one of the pilots.  
The planes could be identified as mere dots against the sky as the WingRaid continued on it's erratic flight path. One turned but was immediately showered with blue bolts emitted from the alien vehicle, blowing the fighter to bits.  
"They got Wykes!", screamed one of the pilots, a different man from the last speaker.  
The Admiral cringed. It was never good to lose a man, regardless of the circumstances. The airplanes made another attack pass and aimed with precision at the still-firing cannons. As more of the weapons broke to shards one of the fighter pilots spoke.  
"There are people down there!", he exclaimed.  
"Where?", asked another man.  
"Coming from that clearing...nine o' clock!", the other man informed.  
The Admiral rushed to the viewscreen.  
"Pull the damn thing towards that clearing!", he insisted of Lieutenant Commander Tirvel.  
"Sir.", responded the lieutenant as he input a change of commands into the keyboard in order to steer the WingRaid in the right direction.  
The fighters were still circling the crippled alien craft when the WingRaid's camera picked up the mass of people swarming out of a stand of trees, across a small clearing and into the road where the craft had landed.  
"Hostile?", asked one of the pilots.  
A deeper man's voice responded. "They look like...kids"  
The figures did look like kids. Uniforms and all, as if they had just come from school. Yet the vast majority of them were carrying weapons. Some quite awkwardly.  
"Survivors!", Tirvel gasped.  
The Admiral was silent for a moment.  
"I want 5th battalion ready for landing in ten minutes! Tell the Captain to pull this damn ship close enough for water reconnaissance"  
"B..but, Sir. What do you plan on doing?", asked Tirvel.  
"Getting those kids out of there and boarding that damn alien mess of a ship.", the Admiral responded.  
"But, Sir...shouldn't we wait for the other ships"  
"We're late enough as is. When the rest of the fleet arrives inform them to get no closer than 5 miles from the coast. Do you understand"  
"Yes, Sir"  
"Excellent, send out the order."

"Sir! Aircraft incoming, ten o' clock"  
"Damn.", intoned Captain Remlin darkly. 'Just great.', he thought. 'NOW they send in the troops'  
There wasn't much they could do. The M-Class prison barge's weapons were far smaller than any other craft in the Imperial Navy, but they could do some serious damage against small, buzzing aircraft such as the attacker's had. "Sir, should we fire?", asked Private Yark.  
The first wave of explosions shuddered the craft slightly.  
The Captain nodded.  
"Yes, fire"  
He could hear the laser blasts singe the air as he started the engines for take-off. They hadn't the time to get the latest pickup of prisoners now. They had been doing the same all day long and the barge cells were nearly full. The craft was far more formidable in the air than sitting on the ground, thus the captain's hurry to the air.  
Then one of the crew howled with delight.  
"Got one"  
Just as he was finishing the engine warm-up process the second wave of missiles struck the craft with such force that all power was lost. Everything went dark.  
"Power supply disabled, Captain!", one of the crew shouted through the darkness.  
"No shit! Start the auxiliary. Get guards on all prison levels! Keep the cells CLOSED"  
"Yes, Sir"  
Captain Remlin struggled moving through the pitch black cabin when another call rang through the deck.  
"Ground troops incoming! Front"  
The Captain immediately rushed back to the viewport. There indeed were people out there. Strange thing was, they were nothing but kids. Kids with guns.  
"They're a bunch of fuckin' kids!", the Captain cursed. "Send a squad of marines to clean this mess up.", he ordered.  
"Only a squad?", asked the familiar voice of Private Yark.  
"They're harmless. Probably just a bunch of Warp-tained kids who think tehy're tough shit. Clean the floor with them.", the Captain responded.  
"Yes, Sir.", Yark confirmed.  
'They can do their worst.', the Captain smirked.

After the two-hour long inpromptu training session that Kimura gave it was obvious he knew more than just Classical Literature. He knew the ins-and-outs of every weapon in his posession. And he had a lot. Enough to supply more than half of the three hundred kids under his 'watch'. Why, he never told except for his timeless statement:  
"They said I was crazy! But no! I am prepared!"

By the time the session was over every student knew how to fire, reload and unjam his or her own personal weapon. It may not have been complete training, but it was enough to get by on. The zeal that the teenagers showed for going into battle was something out of a dramatic movie. If one did not want to go, they certainly did not show it because everyone was prepared to do whatever they needed to push out the invaders.

Kimura poked his head above ground for the first time in hours after hearing the roar of jet engines.  
"Planes! Someone sent fighters!", he exclaimed.  
Everyone crowded out of the entrance of the shelter to observe the first moments of the NATO attack on the landed alien craft.  
"Wow!", Kagura stared in awe as the first round of missiles struck the beached alien ship.  
"They got it good!", said one boy.  
Everyone nodded in agreement. Then came the alien's turn to fire. The lances of pule azure streaked through the skies, hunting out the buzzing jets.  
One was hit, the wreckage falling to Earth with suprising slowness.  
No one even gasped. They had seen enough death to not be frightened. Yet, some did feel a strange twinge in their stomach as they watched a potential saviour be shot from the sky.  
One of the fighters made a sweeping turn and streaked overhead with a sonic boom before unleashing another stream of missiles that impacted fiercely. The alien craft shook with the massive impact. All outside lights on the ship suddenly went dark.  
"Did...it just lose power?", Kaorin asked her personal hero, Sakaki.  
Sakaki just mumbled. "I believe so"  
"Then now would be a perfect time to catch them off guard!", Kimura shouted.  
"Mr. Kimura! You have to be careful!", little Chiyo-chan pleaded. She didn't carry a weapon, maybe that was the reason. Everyone agreed she was far too young and brilliant to take part in this battle.  
"I didn't want to admit it earlier, but I have been waiting my entire life to be right! Now that I am I feel the need to show the world what I can do!", Kimura said, his excitement building.  
A cheer rose amongst the assembled teens.  
"Just be careful!", a tearful Chiyo-chan said, retreating into the bunker.  
She had been left to tend to those too wounded to participate in what Kimura had come to call the "Retaking of Tokyo.  
She closed the vault door behind her as the others took off on their march with a shout.  
"It's ok, Chiyo-chan.", Chihiro said as she hobbled over.  
"I...couldn't talk them out of it.", Chiyo-chan babbled.  
"Don't worry. Everything will work out in the end, somehow.", Chihiro said.  
"What is this!? A movie!?", Chiyo-chan screamed. Chihiro was taken aback. Chiyo-chan was NEVER angry!  
"Nothing good is going to come of this.", Chiyo-chan said and slumped off, weeping openly.

"Dammit! How long are they gonna keep us here? This sucks"  
"...And whose fault is that, Tomo?", Yomi sighed as she sat on the cold metal grate that served as a floor in the cell.  
"Certainly not mine!", Yukari growled.  
"SHE PUSHED ME INTO IT!", Tomo shouted, pointing a finger at Yukari.  
"Oh, like hell I did! You were just as up to it as I was"  
"Bullshit! You made me do it"  
"Do you wanna die"  
"Not if I kill you first"  
"Both of you shut the hell up!", Yomi screamed over the cacaphony. "Someone will hear you"  
"And they won't hear you with a voice like that?", Tomo retorted.  
"Just shut up and let's...", Yomi began but the walls were shaken by some sort of impact. A dull blast found their ears.  
"The hell is going on!?", Yukari shouted, standing up.  
Soldiers and crew members began to rush by the catwalks outside of the barred holding cells.  
"Wow! Something exciting must be happening!", Tomo commented.  
"Tomo, just shut up for once!", Yomi said venomously.  
Another shock rumbled through the cell and everything went black.  
"POWER'S OUT! UH OH!", Tomo screamed at the top of her lungs.  
"Maybe we can use the darkness to our advantage and get outta here!", Yukari said as she charged the barred door. To the suprise of all three, the door swung open when she impacted upon it.  
"Holy shit!", Tomo cursed. The door was indeed open! Using only the dim light streaks filtering in from the windows set high on the walls of the craft the three made their way quickly from the cell and began the search for a safe haven.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**The final battle awaits! Who shall prevail!?**


	9. Fire on Earth

**Hopefully, you're all happier with this chapter than I am (**

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Admiral Kipling stood on dry land for the first time during this operation. The 5th battalion was assembled around his honour guard. Nine hundred soldiers to take on an unknown amount of enemy forces. The first contact was only ten miles inland and could be reached by truck in a short time. The multitude of vehicles rolled past bombed out houses and around scattered corpses.  
The Admiral knew that he'd have to send out a unit to identify the dead once this was all over.  
"How do you know they were kids?", asked Lieutenant Colonel Reese.  
"I know what I saw and they were kids in school uniforms.", Admiral Kipling replied. The Lieutenant Colonel was the Officer Commanding of the 5th battalion. A worthy man with a mean streak to the stars. But he could do his job better than nearly anyone.  
As the caravan drove around some debris that had fallen into the road the Admiral refrained from looking at the dead bodies within.  
"Why are you so interested in a bunch of kids?", Reese asked.  
"Why aren't you?", retorted the Admiral.  
"We've wasted enough time, Admiral. Why didn't you just stay on your boat"  
"And leave all the fun to you? Never.", The Admiral cynically pointed out.  
They had a tense relationship ever since Reese attained the rank of Colonel and thought he was something special.  
"Bogey in sight.", came the crackle from the open truck's radio.  
Upon cresting a tall hill, the mail portion of the caravan came to a stop. Before them was a sight few have seen and few will ever see. A full frontal attack on an alien spaceship by a contingent of high school aged kids.  
The craft had seen better days due to the plethora of black craters that adorned it's surface like unwanted hickeys. Smoke poured from the holes and was beginning to turn the sky a dismal gray.  
More intrigueing than the craft was the battle taking place outside. A small force of red armoured alien soldiers was unleashing a hail of booming fire upon the hapless school kids. Dispite the fact that the high schoolers had an obvious advantage in numbers, none seemed to be adept at weapon use.  
Fire could be seen being exchanged by both forces but the bodies littering the ground were definately those of the children.  
"Dismount! Units 4 and 6 prepare a counterattack to repel the foward forces! DO not enter the craft! Units 5 and 10 secure an escape route for the friendlies! All others dismount and await further orders!", Lieutenant Colonel Reese barked into the truck's intercom.  
The soldiers of 5th battalion vaulted over the sides of their respective trucks and took up assigned positions. Units 4 and 6 advanced with caution towards the raging battle ahead while 5 and 10 took a roundabout route to catch the runaway school kids as they retreated.  
The remaining units stood at the ready. Prepared for any order they might be given.  
Unit 4 crouched themselves behind a pile of rubble that sat in the center of the roadway. This provided ample cover as they unloaded their first round of fire from their L85A2 assault rifles. Some shots ricoched off the craft's hull, but most were accurate and two enemy soldiers dropped to the ground.  
"Nice shooting!", barked Reese.  
The fire threw the remaining twelve alien soldiers to abandon their persuit of the kids and instead turned on the military forces.  
Bolts of pure ochre energy scorched the air and forced many soldiers to take cover behind the nearest object. Reese and Admiral Kipling ducked down into the body of their armoured truck for safety.  
Suddenly, the ground shook with a massive explosion as the first enemy rocket collided with a front-line truck, sending shrapnel into the surrounding troops. As the dust cleared it could be seen that at least fifteen soldiers had been injured by the blast.  
"All front line troops awaiting orders pull back with the wounded fifty metres!", Reese barked into the intercom.  
Admiral Kipling risked his neck to push his head out of the truck to assess the situation.  
The waiting soldiers were pouring back to the rear of the caravan with the scores of wounded. Units 4 and 6 still laid down a wave of suppressive fire at the opposing forces. The school kids and units 5 and 10 could not be seen.  
Just as he pulled his head back into the cab of the truck another missile streaked overhead, missing the caravan by mere metres.  
"Sir, we have the kids. Many wounded. Some casualties. Returning back.", cracked the intercom over the din of combat.  
Reese smirked but the Admiral smiled wider.  
'Finally, some success.", he thought.  
The radio spoke again.  
"Sergeant Jones. Unit 4. Enemy has retreated into the craft. At best count, ten remaining. No serious injuries to report. Over"  
"Ok. Form up at the front. I need Special Forces armed and ready to board the craft! Make it quick while they're still hurtin'!", Reese informed the battalion via radio.  
"Hope we're not too late.", Admiral Kipling intoned darkly.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Why isn't the auxiliary power up yet!?". screamed Captain Remlin.  
"My men are working on it! Some parts were damaged.", answered Chief Engineer Marco.  
'Damn it all', thought the Captain. Suddenly pinpoints of lights shone through the darkness. The emergency lights. The Captain trudged through the slightly illuminated hold to the main embarking bay. The main lift had been dropped. The marines had already gone to eliminate the children, as per the Captain's orders.  
"Sergeant, are the prisoners still in their cells?", the Captain asked a maroon suited man nearby.  
"Yes, Sir. So far so good.", saluted the soldier.  
"Excellent.", said the captain as he sped his way back to the command deck to observe the battle outside.  
The marines, armed with high powered laser rifles and a few men with rocket launchers, were taking a toll on the high school forces. A few members of the thirty man squad had fallen, but many more children had fallen dead or injured. The 'Children's Crusade' had been beaten into a full retreat.  
"Sir! Advancing forces spotted to the west!", one of his adjundants shouted.  
"How many?", asked the captain.  
"Looks to be at least a thousand military forces, Sir.", the man answered.  
The Captain paused for a moment in thought.

"Get the marines inside. I want that power back online in five minutes and everyone prepare for an ambush. We'll catch 'em as they approach."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kimura led the charge with a yelp. The myriad of others followed quickly behind him, weapons raised. Upon bursting through a copse of trees they were met with lancing fire from a squad of maroon soldiers stationed just outside the alien craft. This caused many in the front row to drop, dead or wounded. The remainder took up hiding behind the sparse growth of trees in order to return fire upon the troopers.  
Kimura had been hit, but not badly. He still had the energy to limp back behind cover. Other students were not so lucky. Namely, Kagura whose skull was shattered by a close range laser blast. Her body lay unmoving next to a few of her classmates.  
"Dammit!", one boy gritted his teeth as he emptied his double barreled shotgun into the squad of troopers, downing three of them. Their bodies torn by the hail of shrapnel. Kaorin hid behind and tree and weeped. She couldn't bring herself to fire her weapons. She cried over the carnage. Everywhere she looked she saw someone she knew, wounded or dead.  
Her eyes stuck to Sakaki, who gallantly strode between trees. Recovering the injured and laying down a hail of fire when she could from her semi-automatic, Russian-made handgun. Kaorin smiled. She knew all along that Sakaki would keep her promise and lead them to victory.  
Then she was hit. Sakaki's right shoulder was struck by a laser bolt with such force that her arm nearly blew out of it's socket. A second blast tore a hole through her skirt and left a bloody crater in her left leg. Slumping to the ground, she fell unceremoniously behind a tree.  
Just then that screw that was holding Kaorin's sanity together through this entire experience finally sheared off.  
With the poise of a battle-hardened goddess she drew her pistols and unleashed a deadly display of lead at the enemy.  
One, two, three fell to her rage. A fourth lost his left eye and fell screaming. A fifth had two fingers torn from him before his chest was pummeled with more bullets.  
Kaorin was so drunk on rage that when the first bolt hit her leg, she still stood and continued her fire. Then came a second which nearly broke her right ulna in two. This she felt but a little. The third blast, which struck her square in the sternum knocked her flat. Her valourous stand had ended and so had the resolve of the remaining teens.  
They quickly beat a retreat just as the assembled NATO forces arrived on the scene.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So, they actually pulled the military together, eh?", asked Lord General Kimril of his aide.  
"Yes, Sir. Forces from around the planet are converging on the islands"  
"How are our forces doing? I assume well.", Kimril swirled his finger over his ebony carved desk.  
"Um...In terms of the main city...we're in danger of losing it"  
"...And why is that, pray tell?", asked the General in his soft tones. The yellow iris of his bionic eye clicked insidiously.  
"Currently the majority of the army is meeting resistance in the north. A small force was left in charge of the major city due to the population being nearly non-existant at this point, Sir"  
"Who gave this order to keep the troops in the north, may I ask?", the General implored.  
"Y..your brother, Sir"  
The General stood up adn straightened his graying hair.  
"He is of now relieved of his position as commander of this campaign. I shall personally take his place. Prepare my shuttle for planetfall"  
"B..but, Sir"  
"I want five thousand troopers under my command. And I want them ready in as little time as possible", the General commanded as he marched towards the sliding door of his personal office.  
"Sir...if you'll excuse me..but..your brother will not be so easily dissuaded"  
"He will be when I relieve him of his position permenantly.", the General smirked as the door slid open with a creak.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Almost to the final epic conclusion!**

**(Don't miss my next installment of Azumanga fics. "Azumanga Epica" coming soon!)**


	10. A Burden

** I enjoyed writing this chapter. I'm really starting to like the non-Azumanga characters I created. **

**Kaorin: Oh! So, now they're better than me!**

**Jay: (grin) You're good for some things...**

**Kaorin: Like?...**

**Jay: (whistles) C'mon baby, make it hurt so good...**

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Admiral's lips turned down and Lieutenant Colonel Reese noticed this.  
"What's with the frown?", he asked gruffly.  
"I'm going to head back to the medical tent. I need to talk with those kids"  
"You're not gonna stay and watch the show?", Reese asked motioning to the stealthily advancing Special Forces troops that were nearing the crippled alien vessel.  
The Admiral shook his head and hopped out of the truck. "Suit yourself.", Reese shrugged.  
The Admiral was followed by ten hand-picked soldiers that served as his personal bodyguard. As they walked the Admiral glanced into the sky. Night was nearing and time seemed to be advancing quicker due to the copious amounts of dark smoke that still hung on the breeze.  
'This is really a shame.', the Admiral thought.  
Tokyo had been such a grand city. Reduced to rubble and with a population of next to nothing it truly was a shame to see. He cursed himself that he couldn't have come sooner. No matter if he couldn't help it, he was supposed to protect people. "Sir!", the chorus of voices broke his thinking. Two guards outside the flaps to the medical tent stood in salute. He saluted in return.  
"Can we help you, Sir?", one asked.  
"I'd like to speak with some of the kids that were brought here.", he responded.  
"Sir, many are too injured to speak but there are some you can talk to. Right this way"  
The shorter of the two soldiers escorted the Admiral and his personal guard inside the tent.  
The Admiral stood aghast at the scene within. He had been to hospitals in times of war and was nearly overcome with grief at the pain aLieutenant Colonelnd suffering. This time it seemed to hit him even harder. Row after row of bloody bodies laid out on cots. Attended to by military nurses and doctors. None that he could see were out of their teen years. Most of the wounded were mangled. One girl nearly had her entire arm sheared off. Another had a bloody pit where her left kneecap should have been. He walked past one cot crowded by a team of doctors and nurses that were struggling wildly to assist a patient.  
The girl's brown, feathered hair was plastered to her scalp with sweat. Most of the right side of her head was a mass of coagulated blood and broken bone. The doctors administered CPR and intreveinous drugs. But to no avail. The heart monitor broke into it's death wail as the medical professionals came to the realization that nothing more could be done. They simply pulled the white sheet up over the tanned girl's face.  
The Admiral shivered a bit inside. He hated having to see the carnage.  
"Right here, Sir.", the leading guard said and motioned to a ground of kids, wounds patched, sitting and eating at a set of folding tables. "Thank you.", the Admiral nodded.  
"Right there,", the guard motioned to an Asian, uniformed soldier that was speaking with the teens. "That's Corporal Takamura. He'll translate for you ok, Sir"  
"Yes, thanks again.", the soldier saluted once more and left the Admiral to speak to the children.  
Corporal Takamura took his place beside the Admiral as he gazed over the less injured of the bunch.  
"Hello, I'm Admiral Kipling of the British Royal Navy.", he waved.  
The kids each gave him a small smile that they mustered from the depths of their tired bodies. Except for one girl, who waved back like nothing had happened at all.  
"How are ya?", Takamura translated the girl's words.  
"I'm fine. May I ask you all a few questions?", the Admiral asked politely.  
Takamura translated back to the teens and they each stopped their eating and nodded in approval.  
"Ok, then. Is everyone that was with you here right now? Is there anyone else we should know about?", he asked.  
The girl, who's eyes seemed like deep pits of brown raised her hand.  
"Nah. Tomo, Yomi and Yukari ran off to fight with tha aliens. Then there's poor Chiyo-chan that stayed with some of tha hurt ones back at tha shelter"  
Takamura translated and the Admiral stood in shock.  
"Shelter!? Where"  
"Ah...back there.", the girl waved her hand in the general direction of where the battle had taken place.  
"Yea, there's a shelter with some of the wounded in it back near that alien ship.", one of the boys of the group said.  
The Admiral turned back to his assembled guard unit.  
"I want this girl to escort a medical team to this shelter she speaks of and I want everyone inside back here in twenty minutes! Got that!?", the Admiral ordered.  
"Yes, Sir!", the commander of the guard answered with a salute and had Corporal Takamura escort the girl along.  
"Should I bring mah gun? I liked shootin' mah gun, tho I think I hurt someone, I hope they're ok. I didn't mean to hurt no one. I was just followin' everyone and 'Bang! Bang!' I think I shot somebody. It was wierd...", she was heard to say as she was taken away.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Special Forces team's resident mechanics expert had just finished cutting through the rear of the craft with a high-powered torch. A hole was left large enough to be entered single file.  
The man gave a sigh and lifted his welding mask, signaling the commander to speak into his radio.  
"Sir, we've breached the hull. Entering on your orders"  
Lieutenant Colonel Reese shifted the radio in his hands.  
"Clear to go.", he spoke.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Auxiliary power is nearly ready, Sir.", said one soldier.  
"Excellent, is everyone in position?", asked Captain Remlin.  
"Yes, Sir. Arrainged as ordered"  
The Captain nodded in approval in the near darkness. The two hundred soldiers that formed the crew of the prison barge were aligned along the tiered catwalks that ascended up the walls of the craft. From there they could see any entering force from below. The Captain stood on the highest catwalk, floor three of the cell blocks.  
All was silent for a moment, then came the first report.  
A lance of crimson light broke into the dark air from one of the soldier's rifles on floor one. It spattered to the ground and extinguished. This was followed by a round of loud automatic fire from the bottom floor of the ship.  
'They're here.', the Captain thought with a smug grin.  
Laser light erupted into the air and was met by a grisly scene of death on both sides of the conflict.  
Maroon coated soldiers dropped, struck by a bullet, from the top floors and plummeted to their doom. He could see that the enemy had taken up cover behind a large protruding part of the ventilation system. A massive series of pipes that ran up and over the bottom floor.  
"We outnumber them, use the supply rooms for cover! All of Floor One I want to try and move down and push them out of cover! Go!", the Captain barked into the radio.  
He could barely be heard over the crackle of gunfire and screams of the wounded.  
The soldier next to him was struck by a stray bullet square in the jaw. Remlin could hear the man's bones crack before he pitched over the railing, trailing blood.  
This caused the Captain to jump back in horror and surprise. He bolted past cells of screaming prisoners as he took cover in the nearest supply room.  
He was alone there. Or so he thought.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Why are we still standing here?", Tomo complained.  
"Because there are men with guns out there!", Yomi growled back.  
"Shut up! Both of you!", Yukari said through clenched teeth.  
The had pressed themselves between a set of boxes in what looked to be a supply room of sorts. A nice hiding place. At least for now.  
'Snap'  
"Whatwasthat!?", Tomo asked quickly.  
"Sounded like...", Yomi began.  
'Bang! Bang'  
"Holy crap! They're shooting!", Tomo said.  
Yukari peeked her head around ther corner of the box and quickly retreated back.  
"They're shooting at someone down below"  
"Wow! Is it cool!?", Tomo asked.  
"Who cares!?", Yomi said angrily.  
"Well, I think...", Tomo began but was interrupted by a new form come to join their 'party.  
It was a man. Average height. Dressed in a well-kept maroon uniform with piebald patches along the left breast pocket. He stood aghast at their presence.  
While the man still stood in awe Yukari quickly grabbed at him and put him into a painful looking headlock. The man began screaming and flailing about.  
"Ascots! Tie hands and mouth now!", Yukari commanded.  
Tomo and Yomi did as ordered as untied their uniform ascots from around their necks. Using these, they managed to bind the man's hands behind and stuff his mouth with cloth enough so he could not cry for help. All he could do was kick and he wasn't doing a very good job of that.  
Yukari had the man's alien pistol, which she quickly located in a holster by the man's side, pointed square at his temple.  
"So, ya feelin' lucky punk?", she asked with a grin.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The inside of the shuttle shook with the friction of atmospheric entry. Lord General Kimril sat in his plush chair, sipping a fruity concoction as he watched the planet below approaching quickly.  
"Should be making planetfall in ten minutes.", said the pilot as he switched off a few lit buttons on the cockpit console.  
"Good. Put down near the enemy. I want to show them how a real commander works.", Kimril's yellow iris clicked as if counting off the minutes.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Her mother embraced her with more fervor than she had ever felt before. She hugged back, just as happy.  
"I knew you could do it Kaori!", her mother praised.  
"I never believed in myself, Mom but I did it!", Kaori said back.  
Tears streamed from her face as she buried it in her mother's soft shoulder. She had worried. But now, all was right with the world. She knew her parents were ok and, in the end, that was all that mattered. "Well, maybe not all...", Kaori thought.  
"I love you, Kaori.", her mother said.  
"I love you too.", Kaori responded as they pulled from the embrace of one another.  
As their eyes met, Kaori stood in shock. The face of her mother...was not that of her mother.  
The long, flowing, ebony hair. The dark, brooding eyes. The soft, cherubic smile. This was not her mother!  
"S...Sakaki-san?", Kaori asked, feeling her heart skip more that one beat.  
Sakaki simply smiled and pulled Kaori closer. Closer. Kaori could feel her body heat up. Her face drenched itself with sweat. Her lips invoulentarily formed into a pucker.  
Then it all dissolved back into the blackness. And Kaori was one more Alone.  
Adrift on the tides of the Universe.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Yea, I know this ending seems to be dragging on, but...I hope you're having as good of a time reading as I am writing.**

**-peace-**

**-Jay**


	11. Living in the Shadow of Hope

**Here it is! The ending! Hope you enjoy it!**

**Kaorin: Can I go home yet!?**

**Jay: Just wait, it's almost over.**

**Kaorin: HE TOUCHED ME WHERE I PEE!**

**Jay: I did not! Stop lying!**

**Note: Words in bold are lyrics from the song "Red Sector A" by Rush. I felt the song was appropriate.**

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lieutenant Thompson and his medical squad had been chosen to follow the strange-talking girl back to this hidden bunker that she had mentioned. The squad of ten men scuttled quickly past the disabled alien craft and made their way through the copse of trees that only an hour or so before held the bodies of the fallen teens.  
"Right this way.", the airheaded girl pointed to the yard behind a house that was now nothing more than a pile of rubble and mismatched pieces.  
As the squad members approached they saw what to them seemed to be stairs that led straight into the lawn. Lo and behold, that's just what they happened to be.  
"Down there is tha shelter.", the girl told the soldiers, smiling innocently.  
"...You should probably go in first, considering that we may look threatening.", Thompson told the girl.  
'I'm real glad I took those lessons in Japanese way back in training.', he thought.  
"Ah, okay. Good idea.", the girl said wistfully and was at the bottom of the stairs in a moment, struggling to pull open the heavy steel door.

"Miss Osaka! You're back!", came the cheerful cry from inside.  
The soldiers treaded slowly down the stairs, not wanting to cause any unneeded panic in the kids.  
"Hi, Chiyo-chan. I came back with some doctors that wanna help ya'll out.", Osaka told the assembled wounded.  
A flutter of voices came from the room. Excited at the possibility of help and release.

"C'mon in guys.", Osaka directed the men inside.  
The soldiers entered the bunker and cordially greeted the students within. As they went about the business of moving the heavily wounded onto stretchers and administering the necessary medicines, little Chiyo-chan cound not stop thanking the men.  
"Thank you very,very much! We appreciate your help!", she squeaked.  
"Thank your friend. She's the one that told us about this place.", Lieutenant Thompson responded.  
Seemingly without a second thought, Chiyo-chan bolted up to Osaka and wrapped her arms tightly about the taller girl's waist.  
"Huh?", Osaka asked, spaced out.  
"Thank you for saving us, Miss Osaka!", Chiyo-chan spoke happily.  
"Ah, I just followed the rainbow...or sumthin'..."

**All that we can do is just survive  
All that we can do to help ourselves is stay alive  
**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Admiral Kipling stood outside the medical tent, coffee in hand. Not much had changed since the counter-attack began. All the men were in a holding formation due to the ongoing operations of the Special Forces within the crippled alien vessel. He simply sipped his drink and gazed across the battlefield, waiting.  
"Sir! A transmission just came in from Commander Tirvel.", a soldier approached the Admiral and saluted.  
"Mmm.", the Admiral intoned and hurried back into the confines of the tent. Another soldier that approached them handed the Admiral a phone wired into a cordless transmission unit stationed near the far wall.  
"Admiral, we've got something on radar. Massive and incoming. We're tracking with anti-air units. Do I have command to fire?", Tirvel's voice crackled over the radio.  
"If you can confirm it to be an enemy craft, fire at will.", the Admiral ordered.  
"Yes, Sir.", Tirvel said and the transmission ended with a snap of a closing connection.  
The Admiral stomped out of the medical tent, barking orders as the flaps closed behind him.

"I want everyone on call and on the lookout. Command caught a massive incoming vessel on radar. If it manages to make groundfall I want everyone prepared for one hell of a fight. Got that? I want it relayed! Now!"

The soldiers standing outside who heard him gave a quick salute and moved off to pass the word along. The Admiral realized that he had forgotten his coffee inside, yet it didn't matter. Night was upon them and the sky was just beginning to shine with stars.

One star in particular shone above all the rest.

**Ragged lines of ragged grey  
Skeletons, they shuffle away  
**

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Sir, we are ten miles downrange of the main enemy force. Do you wish to proceed?", the pilot asked.

"Of course.", Lord General Kimril intoned from beneath his mask. He was donned in his L-47 Biotech Battlsuit specifically designed to amplify every human capablity. The suit was a shining white plasteel carapace with pinstripes of deep maroon alon the arms and breast area. A visor covered his entire face, not even his eyes could be seen beneath the tinted viewport. In the outfit he was an imposing figure. Towering over seven feet tall and with a broad upper boddy, the suit definately improved every aspect of himself. An unstoppable beast.

In the distance through the viewport could be seen the burning lights of the main NATO encampment. The faint outline of the downed barge could also be identified.

A screen on the pilot's control panel began to blink a bright crimson and let out a loud blare.  
"Incoming fire. Shields are charged and ready.", spoke the pilot in hushed tones.  
The contrails of missiles and anti-air fire were streaking towards their position at incredible speeds. Yet, each one simply impacted upon the shield barrier, barely harming the vessel itself.

"Destroy it.", Kimril commanded.

"What?", asked the pilot.

"The barge.", he responded.

"But...Sir? Our men are on that barge.", the pilot said.

"No worries. I want it blown to bits."

In a matter of seconds the once great barge was torn to mere shreds of splintered metal and charred bodies in the midst of a vast blossom of fire.

**Shouting guards and smoking guns  
Will cut down the unlucky ones  
**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What on Earth is that?", one of the medical soldiers spoke.  
"Another ship? Dammit!", Lieutenant Thompson said.  
"The aliens just keep comin' back don't they?", said Osaka.  
Chiyo-chan shook with terror.  
"M...Maybe we should go back inside"  
The was a moment's pause as they watched the fireworks show of the missiles seemingly doing no damage to the immense craft.

"Sounds like a good idea.", Lieutenant Thompson said as the rest of the crew quickly agreed.

**I clutch the wire fence until my fingers bleed  
A wound that will not heal  
A heart that cannot feel  
**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Holy crap! They're all dead!", said Tomo, her voice echoing around the prison barge.  
Tomo, Yomi and Yukari each stood observing the myriad of dead corpses that had once been enemy fighters. Even though they were outnumbered, the Special Forces team had the advantage of heavy cover. Very few NATO soldiers were lost. The same couldn't be said for the Imperial Army. All 200 men, dead. Even Captain Remlin now had a smoking crater in his head from Yukari's trigger finger. She felt no remorse either, these men had no right to be on Earth in the first place!

With the cell doors opened, the various prisoners were rejoicing at their newfound freedom. Broken familes and friends hugged in the dim light.  
One of the soldiers spoke in broken Japanese over a loud microphone.  
"Everyone please form a single file line and exit down this ramp"  
He pointed to a ramp that led from the ship back into the cool night air. The soldiers had been able to push the ramp open due to the hydraulics being quite loose.

Needless to say, Tomo and Yukari managed to yank Yomi along to the front of the line. They smiled victoriously as the walked once more back onto the Earth.

"All right! We did it!", Tomo pumped her fist.  
"Yeah!", Yukari slapped hands with the hyper girl.  
"Um...not so fast...", Yomi gulped.  
"Huh?", asked Tomo.

Gazing into the sky they saw the approach of the massive shuttle, shining like a vicious beacon.

"Holy shit!", Yukari screamed and bolted off into the scorched forest nearby.  
"Hey! Don't just leave us here!", Tomo scampered after, quickly followed by Yomi.

From within the trees they watched as other freed prisoners scampered off at the sight of the floating vessel. Screaming as they ran off blindly.  
"Wonder what that's here for...?", Tomo asked.  
"Do you really have to ask?", Yomi asked cynically.

Lances of blue light pierced through the night sky and touched across the crippled barge. Shredding the exterior like paper, the barge quickly blew into a massive fireball. The three escapees took cover behind trees as shards of metal lodged themselves in the trunks.

Even Tomo couldn't help but shed a tear at the lives needlessly lost in that split second.

**Hoping that the horror will recede  
Hoping that tomorrow we'll all be freed**

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The assembled soldiers dove for the nearest available cover when the red-hot shrapnel from the exploding barge pattered around them. Admiral Kipling dove headlong under a truck as he heard pieces slam against the vehicle and the screams of men caught in the deadly rain.

The rain ended, the wounded collected. There was nothing left of the barge save a small amount of smouldering wreckage.

"Call command! I want every damn missile, cannon and whatever else is there aimed at that ship! NOW!", he barked upon crawling from underneath the truck.

The enormous vessel glided silently to the ground, the hot backwash felt even at a distance of nearly a half mile.

"Everyone stand your ground!", he shouted over the din of the wounded.

Large flaps on the side of the craft lifted with pure silence. Men marched out. Line after line of soldiers marched from the interior and stood in formation along the sides of the craft.

The Admiral gulped down a frog in his throat. The men numbered in the thousands. Far more than his waning 900 he had come with. The two armies faced one another. A showdown

As if from nowhere a star shot into the sky from the pinnacle of the landed craft. It ascended into the sky and hovered, shining like an azure beacon in the night. It glowed furiously, and at its center, a being. A hovering, seven foot tall humanoid.

A voice boomed across the battlefield, a voice louder than anyone had ever heard before.

"You have made your last move! Feast your eyes upon your doom, Warptainted!"

The being spread its arms and exploded with laughter. With a outstretched arm he shot forth bolt after bolt of blazing blue energy that pattered quickly amongst the assembled troops. Many of the men could not find cover quickly enough and were struck by the falling balls of plasma.

"Fire! FIRE EVERYTHING!!", the Admiral shouted so loud that his throat became sore.

**Sickness to insanity  
Prayer to profanity  
Days and weeks and months go by  
Don't feel the hunger  
Too weak to cry  
**

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kaorin stirred and awoke. The first thing her weakened eyes registered was movement. The medical tent was in an uproar. Doctors and nurses pushes patients on rolling beds out of the infirmary and across acres of gravel and dust to escape the receding sounds of gunfire heard in the distance. Through the darkness Kaorin was being pushed. She found that her right arm was in a sling and her breaths came in gasps whose pain was only masked by the drugs dripping through her IV.

Beside her rolled another injured girl. Her deep, dark hair, indistinguishable from the night air flowed as the roller bed was pushed. Her forehead was swathed in bandages and her right arm was also slung across her chest in a cast.

"Is that you...Sakaki-san?", Kaorin's voice came in a raspy whisper.

The other's head turned. And she smiled.

**I hear the sound of gunfire at the prison gate  
Are the liberators here?  
**

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Commander Tirvel heard the radio crackle and come to life.

"Fire! FIRE EVERYTHING!"

"You heard the man!", he barked into the ship's intercom.

Cannons boomed and missiles streaked off like violent fireflies.

--------------------------------------**Do I hope or do I fear?**--------------------------------------------------------------

The exchange began. The red lance-light of the aliens peppered the NATO forces as the Earthlings returned fire with flying waves of lead. Man after man on both sides fell to the onslaught. Then the shining star-person began to descend. Faster. Faster. The speed of its flight left a blue contrail after it as the Earth soldiers fired upon him in vain.

He collided with the front row of soldiers, sending a few barreling through the air. The impact had shattered the pavement. He stood, the light faded. There stood a man over seven feet in height donned in shining white armour. On his right arm was a multi-barreled cannon and upon his left was attatched a blade of shining magenta, a saber of pure energy.

Soldiers shouted and fired upon the tall beast of a man. The bullets seemed to leave but small imprints on the perfect suit. Yet, his response was quick and wicked. With blidning speed he decapitated one man, vaulted nearly five meteres into the air and fired a volley of shots down upon a group of three hapless soldiers. All torn to pieces. Landing once more, he tore one man's stomach out mercilessly. Another trooper tried to fire directly at his face, but before he could his head was nothing more than bone marrow and brain particles. The beast continued his rampage. Killing anyone and everyone who stood in his way. Even those who tried to run did not get far.

_'Guess there's no running.'_, Admiral Kipling stood and unsheathed his sword and pistol, readying for the inevitable battle.

**For my father and my brother, it's too late**

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lord General Kimril smirked beneath the visor.

_'Is this man a fool?'_, he thought.

He had spotted Admiral Kipling standing still. Pistol and steel sword raised.

_'Has he not seen the death I sow?'_, he thought, referring to the fleeing soldiers that he was still cutting down.

_'This might be fun.'_, he thought as he approached the Admiral and stood tall.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Holy crap! They're getting slaughtered!", Tomo shouted from the trees.

Tomo, Yomi and Yukari had all watched the unfolding battle from the treeline. They had watched what seemed to be their last hope being torn down by the firing maroon soldiers and the brutal flying man.

Then the artilliry hit. The maroon soldiers were thrown by the orange fireballs. Tomo smiled inwardly. The missiles and cannon shells had been invisible as they came streaking through the night sky. The enemy had not even suspected them.

Thousands of soldiers were torn and incinerated by the extreme volley of fire. The barrage lasted nearly five constant minutes. Hundreds of shells had slammed into the soldiers and the landing craft. When the smoke cleared, not much was left. A crater, if that.

"All right!", Tomo yelled.

"For once...you're right.", Yomi agreed.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lord General Kimril paused upon hearing the first collisions of the heavy munitions. He knew what had occurred and it wa his own fault.

_'No matter.'_, he thought.

He would defeat them all himself. Bullets would not harm him.

"Come, Warptaint!", he boomed to Admiral Kipling.

The Admiral smiled happily.

"Glad I could help.", he smirked.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Admiral Kipling made the first move. He feinted low with his blade but instead brought it up in a sweep, narrowly missing Kimril's head. He was fast enough, though, to evade the return slice of the energy blade. He felt it's heat as it passed close to his head. The sweep has left Kimril hunched slightly, exposing a place where the armour plates connected. A weak spot.  
Jamming his blade between the plates, he was greeted by a grunt and a spurt of crimson. Yet the Lord General was not finished. He turned and let loose and short blast of bolts that skimmed neatly over the Admiral's head, singing hairs.

_'Perfect.'_, the Admiral thought.

Kimril's right arm was extended, leaving his armpit exposed. Thrusting foward with all his might, Kipling's saber pierced the underlying black mesh and entered Kimril's flesh. From his flesh it entered his lung. Another quick push and his heart was pierced.

Kimril paused as blood seeped into his throat.

"THIS IS NOT THE END!", Kimril raged. Pulling away from the blade and swiftly sweeping Admiral Kipling's head from his shoulders. Away tumbled the decapitated skull as the body slumped down useless.

Moments later Kimril also joined the Admiral in the deep expanse of death.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Everything's so...quiet.", whispered Ai, Kaorin's mother to her husband.

"Is it really...over?", her husband asked.

The battlefield was strewn with bodies. None that survived.

Both dashed towards the NATO encampment, fearing nothing for their lives. Thinking but one thing.

_'Kaori!'_

**But I must help my mother stand up straight**

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Sir! We have recieved reports that the battle is over and that the enemy's main commander is dead. But...it seems that Admiral Kipling also was killed."

The radio hissed with static as Commander Tirvel composed a response.

"Pull three cruisers to shore. Move this damn ship as well."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kaorin had been dreaming again. Dreaming of a peacful place. Her old life. Friends, family, everything was perfect. Maybe she had not seen it as perfect then. But, then she had not concocted any idea of war.

"Kaori!!", she felt herself being embraced. Her eyes shot open to meet those of her mother. Kaorin was filled with joy. It was real! All real! She used her one good arm to hug her mother. Then her father also embraced his daughter.

"I love you.", her mother said.

"I...love you too.", Kaorin whispered.

Another form approached her bedside, sitting in the open within the darkness. The form limped foward, her body wrapped in bandages.

"Kaorin. Glad to see you're ok.", Sakaki smiled.

Kaorin had decided. She couldn't have been happier.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It took a long while for Japan to recover from the invasion. The aliens had been defeated. No trace was left. A year later, to the day of the final battle a memorial service was held outside Tokyo University. Family members and friends of victims and other well-wishers stood in a massive group outside the newly reconstructed buildings. A worldwide moment of silence followed. Everyone had come to bow their heads and pray for all those lost. Kaorin, Yomi, Tomo, Yukari, simply everyone. Most of Tokyo and its surrounding subdivisions had arrived as well.

The names of the dead were read off. The girls and their teachers cringed and tears fell from their eyes as they heard one name.

"Kagura Hidoyoshi"

There was no hiding the grief. Yet, sometimes after the grief is over, it is best to move on. To continue what that person would have wanted. Tomo and Osaka had never replaced the third position in the Numbnuts and they never would.

Yet, there were happy endings. Kimura had located his wife and daughter, both had escaped safely from the prison barge before it burst into oblivion. The other girls' parents had also gone into hiding or escaped with their lives. Everyone had lost a loved one or friend in one way or another. But all knew that what their loved ones would have wanted was to see Japan live once more. There was still much more to be done, progress was slow. One day, everyone hoped, one day, life will be normal once more. Perseverance is the key.

Kaorin squeezed Sakaki's hand tightly as they both stood, heads bowed, letting the world know that no matter the circumstances, there is always hope in the world. Always heroes.

Modern day Spartans.

**Are we the last ones left alive?  
Are we the only human beings to survive?**

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**I would like to thank everyone who has read this story. You are all awesome! I'm glad that people enjoyed it. This chapter is for you Anime Rebirth in return for your support and the fact that you gave a chapter to me as well. **

**Azumanga Epica is my next full time project so see you all on the flip side!**

**Kaorin: Can I PLEEASE go home now!?**

**Jay: Fine, fine. Here. (hands her a complimentary mint) Have fun.**

**Kaorin: I hate you...  
**


End file.
